Celiacs Disease Apps

Overview

Celiac disease, sometimes called celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

If you have celiac disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response in your small intestine.There's no cure for celiac disease — but for most people, following a strict gluten-free diet can help manage symptoms and promote intestinal healing.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of celiac disease can vary greatly and differ in children and adults. Digestive signs and symptoms for adults include:

Diarrhoea

Fatigue

Weight loss

Bloating and gas

Abdominal pain

Nausea and vomiting

Constipation

However, more than half the adults with celiac disease have signs and symptoms unrelated to the digestive system.

Children

Children with celiac disease are more likely than adults to have digestive problems.

Dermatitis herpetiformis

This condition is often associated with changes to the lining of the small intestine identical to those of celiac disease, but the skin condition might not cause digestive symptoms.

When to see a doctor

Be sure to consult your doctor before trying a gluten-free diet. If you stop or even reduce the amount of gluten you eat before you're tested for celiac disease, you can change the test results.

Celiac disease tends to run in families. If someone in your family has the condition, ask your doctor if you should be tested. Also ask your doctor about testing if you or someone in your family has a risk factor for celiac disease, such as type 1 diabetes.

Causes

Your genes combined with eating foods with gluten and other factors can contribute to celiac disease, but the precise cause isn't known.Sometimes celiac disease becomes active after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection or severe emotional stress.

Risk factors

Celiac disease tends to be more common in people who have:

A family member with celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis

Type 1 diabetes

Down syndrome or Turner syndrome

Complications

Untreated, celiac disease can cause:

Malnutrition.

Bone weakening.

Infertility and miscarriage.

Nonresponsive celiac disease

Some people with celiac disease don't respond to what they consider to be a gluten-free diet. Nonresponsive celiac disease is often due to contamination of the diet with gluten. Working with a dietitian can help you learn how to avoid all gluten.

People with nonresponsive celiac disease might have:

Bacteria in the small intestine (bacterial overgrowth)

Microscopic colitis

Refractory celiac disease

In rare instances, the intestinal injury of celiac disease doesn't respond to a strict gluten-free diet. This is known as refractory celiac disease.

Diagnosis

Many people with celiac disease don't know they have it. Two blood tests can help diagnose it:

Serology testing looks for antibodies in your blood. Elevated levels of certain antibody proteins indicate an immune reaction to gluten.

Genetic testing for human leukocyte antigens (HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8) can be used to rule out celiac disease.

It's important to be tested for celiac disease before trying a gluten-free diet. Eliminating gluten from your diet might make the results of blood tests appear normal.

If the results of these tests indicate celiac disease, your doctor will likely order one of the following tests:

Treatment

A strict, lifelong gluten-free diet is the only way to manage celiac disease. Besides wheat, foods that contain gluten.A dietitian who works with people with celiac disease can help you plan a healthy gluten-free diet.